The Place It was previously known as Tamashii Robataya, and the Japanese restaurant along North Canal Road has reopened recently after a major revamp in terms of its space and concept. Located in the same location as before, the refreshed Tamashii restaurant spots a more contemporary interior and a much more intimate space. There is the idea of Kappo style dining, hence the ten counter seats and chef’s table which provides more interaction between diners and the kitchen crew. In addition, there are also private rooms.

The Food The focus of Tamashii is to source global ingredients prepared in Japanese style, where the previous robataya dining concept is no longer present. I visited the restaurant for lunch and I would recommend going for the Tamashii 7-course Lunch (S$98) instead of the ala carte dishes for better value. At S$98++, you get 3 Assorted Appetisers, Sashimi, Char Grilled Seasonal Fish, Truffle Chawanmushi, Wagyu Don, Clear Soup and Dessert of the day.

My Appetisers for the day are a mix of ikura, beef tartare and sea cucumber. This changes according to the availability of ingredients.

Sashimi course is always one of my favourite as you can really get a taste of the freshness of the ingredients here. I had a mix of tuna belly (otoro), amberjack, scallop and herring fish roe. No prizes for guessing but the fatty otoro here is so satisfying.

The Char Grilled Seasonal Fish took me by surprise. Firstly, the portion is quite big. I had the yellowtail cheek which is grilled over charcoal, and the flavour of the fish cheek is soft and delicious. It tastes like there’s a fair bit of fish oil here, coupled with the seasoning of salt which make the dish an enjoyable one.

One of my favourite course here is the next dish, Truffle Chawanmushi. Truffle oil and chawanmushi can’t go very wrong, and this portion is not stingy. The truffle smell is so aromatic.

The Wagyu Don is the last savoury dish and it is one of those Chef Patrick’s signature dishes which should always stay on the menu. You get Saga Wagyu Beef with onsen egg here, sliced into nice cubes which make it easy to bite. The marbling and tenderness of the beef here is sinfully gratifying.

A Clear Soup of round clam with wakame seaweed precedes the Dessert, where we had a simple yet tasty pumpkin cheese cake to conclude the meal.

Rants Admittedly, prices of the ala carte dishes for dinner are pretty steep which makes the set meals a much better value.

Will I Return Again? The flavour of the dishes at Tamashii are more suited for Singaporeans palate as there is a fair bit of fusion in the dishes. The dining ambience is fine casual, while the set meals offer good value.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

Make your reservation instantly at Tamashii here.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Tamashii
12 North Canal Road
#02-01 Singapore 048825
Tel: +65 6222 0316

Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday: 12pm to 2:30pm; 6:30pm to 10:30pm
Closed on Sunday

Ranted by The Ranter